Regarding the "48 Hour Rule," the legislature passed this due to pressure (primarily from the Sheriff's Association). County Sheriffs (who run the jails) had noted the increasing number of mentally ill offenders residing in their jails and rightfully declared that they did not have the specialized personnel or the kinds of facilities needed to manage the SPMI population. However, DHS was never funded to accept these clients, so the SPMI population still languishes in county jails, or perhaps worse, gets discharged to the streets in need of treatment.
Regarding the "48 Hour Rule," the legislature passed this due to pressure (primarily from the Sheriff's Association). County Sheriffs (who run the jails) had noted the increasing number of mentally ill offenders residing in their jails and rightfully declared that they did not have the specialized personnel or the kinds of facilities needed to manage the SPMI population. However, DHS was never funded to accept these clients, so the SPMI population still languishes in county jails, or perhaps worse, gets discharged to the streets in need of treatment.